By Will Duru | BSc Sport Science | Personal Trainer | 10+ Years Experience
Every year it is the same thing. As soon as the weather starts to warm up and the clocks go forward, my phone starts buzzing. Old and new clients are all asking the same question.
“Will, I want to lose 5kg before summer. What do I need to do?”
I have heard this question hundreds of times. It is the most common thing my clients ask me between March and May. The sun comes out, people start thinking about holidays, lighter clothes, and how they feel in their bodies. And they want results fast.
I get it. I understand the urgency. But here is what I always tell my clients first. Losing 5kg of body fat is not about a quick fix. It is not about starving yourself for four weeks. It is not about doing two hours of cardio every day. It is about doing the right things, in the right order, and being consistent. That is how you lose the weight and keep it off.
In this newsletter, I am going to give you exactly what I give my clients. A clear nutrition strategy, a 4-day workout plan, and a way to stay on track using the 12REPS app. No nonsense. Just what works.
The Truth About Losing 5kg of Body Fat
Let me start with some simple math. One kilogram of body fat is roughly 7,700 calories. So to lose 5kg, you need to burn about 38,500 calories more than you eat. That sounds like a big number, but when you break it down over 8 to 10 weeks, it comes to a daily deficit of about 550 to 700 calories.
You do not have to starve yourself. You do not have to live on salads. You just need to eat a bit less and move a bit more. That combination, done consistently, is what gets you there.
I tell all my clients the same thing. Fat loss is 70 per cent nutrition and 30 per cent training. You cannot out-train a bad diet. If you eat 3,000 calories and burn 400 in the gym, you are still in a surplus. The food must come first.
“You cannot out-train a bad diet. The food always comes first.” – Will Duru
My Nutrition Strategy for Fat Loss
I am not a registered dietitian, but I have a BSc in Sport Science, and I have helped hundreds of clients lose body fat. This is the approach I use. It is simple, it works, and you do not need to count every single calorie.
Step 1: Work Out Your Calories
To lose fat, you need to eat fewer calories than your body uses. For most people, a good starting point is your bodyweight in kilograms multiplied by 22 to 24. So if you weigh 80kg, aim for around 1,760-1,920 calories per day. That puts most people at a deficit without feeling miserable.
If you are very active, use the higher number. If you sit at a desk all day, use the lower number. Adjust after two weeks based on how your body responds.
Step 2: Prioritise Protein
Protein is the most important thing when you are trying to lose fat. It keeps you full for longer. It protects your muscles while you are in a calorie deficit. And your body burns more energy digesting protein than it does digesting carbs or fat.
I tell my clients to aim for 1.6 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight every day. For an 80kg person, that is 128 to 160 grams of protein. That sounds like a lot, but it is easier than you think when you plan your meals.
Step 3: Eat Real Food
I do not give my clients complicated meal plans with weird ingredients. I keep it simple. Eat real food. Base every meal around a protein source, add vegetables, and include a portion of carbs or healthy fats. That is it.
Here is an example of what a day of eating looks like for one of my clients in a fat-loss phase.
Meal | What to Eat | Protein Source | Notes |
3 eggs scrambled, 1 slice wholemeal toast, spinach | Eggs | Quick and filling | |
Snack | Greek yoghurt with berries | Greek yoghurt | High protein, low sugar |
Lunch | Grilled chicken breast, rice, mixed salad | Chicken | Meal prep this |
Snack | Apple with peanut butter | Peanut butter | Healthy fats |
Dinner | Salmon fillet, sweet potato, broccoli | Salmon | Omega-3s |
That day gives you roughly 1,800 calories and around 140 grams of protein. It is enough food to keep you full, give you energy for your workouts, and still put you in a deficit.
Step 4: Cut the Liquid Calories
This is one of the easiest wins I give my clients. Stop drinking your calories. Fizzy drinks, fruit juices, alcohol, fancy coffees with syrup. These add up fast and they do not fill you up. Switch to water, black coffee, and herbal tea. I have had clients lose a kilogram in the first week just by making this one change.
Step 5: Do Not Skip Meals
When people want to lose weight fast, the first thing they do is skip meals. Do not do this. When you skip meals, you get hungry, your energy drops, and you end up eating more later in the day. Eat three solid meals and one or two small snacks. Keep your energy steady and your hunger under control.
The 4-Day Fat Loss Workout Plan
Nutrition gets the fat off. Training makes sure you keep your muscles while you lose weight. If you only diet without training, you will lose weight, but a lot of it will be muscle. That is not what we want. We want to lose fat and keep the muscle underneath.
I give my fat-loss clients four strength-training sessions per week, using a push-pull-legs-and-core split. On top of that, two short cardio sessions. Here is the full plan.
Use supersets for every pairing. Do exercise A1, go straight into A2 with no rest, then rest after both. This keeps your heart rate up and burns more calories than resting between sets.
Day 1: Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Focus | |
A1 | Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 10–12 | — | Chest |
A2 | Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 4 | 10–12 | 60s | Shoulders |
B1 | Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 12 | — | Upper chest |
B2 | Lateral Raise | 3 | 15 | 60s | Side delts |
C1 | Press-Ups | 3 | 15 | — | Chest, triceps |
C2 | Triceps Rope Pushdown | 3 | 12–15 | 60s | Triceps |
Day 2: Pull (Back, Biceps)
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Focus | |
A1 | Barbell Bent-Over Row | 4 | 10–12 | — | Back |
A2 | Dumbbell Biceps Curl | 4 | 12 | 60s | Biceps |
B1 | Lat Pulldown | 3 | 12 | — | Lats |
B2 | Face Pulls | 3 | 15 | 60s | Rear delts |
C1 | Dumbbell Single-Arm Row | 3 | 12 each | — | Back |
C2 | Hammer Curls | 3 | 12–15 | 60s | Biceps |
Day 3: Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves)
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Focus | |
A1 | Barbell Back Squat | 4 | 10–12 | — | Quads, glutes |
A2 | Romanian Deadlift | 4 | 10–12 | 90s | Hamstrings |
B1 | Leg Press | 3 | 12 | — | Quads |
B2 | Lying Hamstring Curl | 3 | 12 | 60s | Hamstrings |
C1 | Walking Lunges | 3 | 10 each | — | Legs, balance |
C2 | Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 15–20 | 60s | Calves |
Day 4: Core and Conditioning
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | Focus | |
A1 | Dead Bug | 3 | 10 each | — | Deep core |
A2 | Plank | 3 | 45 secs | 45s | Core stability |
B1 | Cable Woodchop | 3 | 12 each | — | Obliques |
B2 | Ab Wheel Rollout | 3 | 10 | 60s | Core, lats |
C1 | Pallof Press | 3 | 10 each | — | Anti-rotation |
C2 | Farmer’s Walk | 3 | 30 metres | 60s | Core, grip |
A strong core protects your back, improves your posture, and makes every other exercise in this plan better. Most people skip core training or just do a few sit-ups at the end. I give it its own day because it is that important.
Cardio (2 Days Per Week)
I do not give my clients hours of slow cardio. It is boring and it is not the most effective way to burn fat. Instead, I use two types of cardio.
Session 1: 20-minute interval walk. Walk at a fast pace for 2 minutes, then walk at a normal pace for 1 minute. Repeat for 20 minutes. This is simple, easy on the joints, and burns more calories than a steady walk.
Session 2: 15-minute HIIT on the rower or bike. Go hard for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. Repeat for 15 minutes. This is tough but it is over quickly and it keeps your metabolism raised for hours after you finish.
Your Week at a Glance
Monday: Push (Day 1)
Tuesday: Pull (Day 2)
Wednesday: Cardio Session 1 (Interval Walk)
Thursday: Legs (Day 3)
Friday: Core and Conditioning (Day 4)
Saturday: Cardio Session 2 (HIIT)
Sunday: Rest
That gives you six active days and one full rest day. Your body needs time to recover. Do not skip the rest day.
How to Use the 12REPS App to Stay on Track
Losing 5kg is not complicated, but it does take consistency. And the number one reason people fail is that they do not track what they are doing. They guess. They forget. They lose motivation because they cannot see their progress. The 12REPS app fixes all of that.
Plan Your Workouts
Set up your four strength sessions and two cardio sessions in the app before the week starts. When you walk into the gym, your plan is already on your phone. You do not have to think. You just follow the plan and do the work.
Log Your Sets, Reps, and Weights
After every set, log what you did. The weight you used. The reps you completed. This takes a few seconds, and it is the most powerful habit you can build. When you can see what you did last week, you know exactly what to aim for this week. That is how you progress.
Check In with a Trainer
This is the part I love most about the 12REPS app. You can check in with a trainer to stay accountable. When you know someone is looking at your sessions, you show up. You do the work. You do not skip days. Accountability is the secret weapon that most people do not have. The 12REPS app gives you it.
I check in with my own clients every week. I look at their sessions, their weights, their consistency. If they are slipping, I catch it early. If they are progressing, I push them harder. That is what good coaching looks like, and you can get it through the app.
Ready to get started? Download the 12REPS app here.
“The people who track their workouts and check in with a trainer are the ones who get results. Every single time.” – Will Duru
Mistakes I See Every Spring
After 10 years of training clients, I see the same mistakes every spring. Here are the big ones.
Cutting calories too low. If you eat 1,000 calories a day, you will lose weight fast. But you will also lose muscle, feel terrible, and binge within two weeks. A moderate deficit is better. Slow and steady wins.
Only doing cardio. Cardio burns calories but it does not build muscle. If you only do cardio, you will end up thinner but softer. Strength training gives you shape and keeps your metabolism high.
Weighing yourself every day. Your weight goes up and down every day because of water, food, and stress. Weigh yourself once a week, first thing in the morning, and track the trend over 4 weeks. That is the number that matters.
Looking for a magic supplement. There is no fat burner that replaces a calorie deficit. Save your money. Spend it on good food and a gym membership instead.
Not sleeping enough. Sleep is when your body recovers and burns fat. If you are getting less than 7 hours of sleep a night, your fat loss will slow down. I tell every client the same thing. Sleep is not optional. It is part of the plan.
My Final Words
Every spring, I have this same conversation with my clients. They want to lose 5kg of body fat. They want to look and feel better. And they want it fast. I understand that. But the clients who get the best results are not the ones who crash diet for four weeks. They are the ones who follow a simple plan, stay consistent, and track everything they do.
Eat in a moderate deficit. Eat enough protein. Train with weights 4 times a week. Add two short cardio sessions. Use the 12REPS app to plan your workouts, log your sets, and check in with a trainer. Do that for 8 to 10 weeks, and you will not just lose 5kg. You will keep it off.
That is the difference between a quick fix and a real result. And real results are what I am about.
Start Your Fat Loss Plan Today
https://12reps.onelink.me/jRI3/m8094fvi
Plan your workouts. Log your progress. Check in with a trainer.
